Our editor-in-chief Nate Yapp is proud to have contributed to the new book Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks, edited by Aaron Christensen. Another contributors include Anthony Timpone, B.J. Colangelo, Dave Alexander, Classic-Horror.com's own Robert C. Ring and John W. Bowen. Pick up a copy today from Amazon.com!
Hmm it appears like your
Rose --First of all, sorry
Rose --
First of all, sorry about the consumed comment.
Write with your own voice, but never post your first draft. Find someone you trust to go over your posts before you post them, not only to check for grammar and spelling, but general readability and clarity. Trust their advice, but trust your own instincts more. As Neil Gaiman once said, "[W]hen people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong."
Post regularly. If you're not posting daily, then set up a schedule so your readers know when to expect new content and make that schedule known. Once you have that schedule, stick to it, come hell or high water. If you're feeling confident now that you can handle three-a-week, consider posting two-a-week instead, but write three-a-week. It will give you a buffer for days when you don't feel like writing.
If you're writing about a specific topic, allow for some wiggle room in the site's description and content. If you keep at it long enough, your blog will evolve, often in ways you don't expect, and you don't want to feel trapped by a narrow focus. At the same time, don't stray too far. If your blog starts as a discussion of Aurora monster model kits, branching out to other collectibles, other areas of 1960s nostalgia, or classic horror is fine. Posting daily discussions of the health benefits of celery will probably turn off readers who came because they expected model kits and model kit related subjects. If you suddenly feel a strong yen for celery discussion, consider a second blog.
The killer for every new blogger is two-fold, but it's really the same thing. You will believe that you don't have anything new to add to the blogosphere, so why bother? You will believe that nobody's reading you, so why bother? Both are just fear. Ignore fear. You're writing the blog because you feel like you have something to say. So say it. Once you've said it, say more.
It's true that nobody will read your blog at first. How can they? You haven't written it yet! One post does not a blog make. You need a lot of content before people will even begin to find you. I don't have any advice on promoting yourself. I am and always have been terrible at self-promotion. I just know that, slowly, steadily, good content and lots of it will bring recognition.
I wish I could say both fears eventually go away, but they don't. However, having readers and (especially) commenters who enjoy and appreciate your posts will go a long way towards lessening them.
"He went for a little walk! You should have seen his face!"
Wise words, Nate! When I
Wise words, Nate! When I first started my blog, I couldn't shake the inevitable feeling of, "Who the heck is going to read all this?" Little by little, though, the visitors started coming and now there's a nice little community of readers who, although not hanging on to every word I write, still visit frequently and take part in discussion. I'll be sure to heed your advice!
Great blog....Loved the "Song
Great blog....Loved the "Song is Over"
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